Australasian Law Awards 2021 crowns the winners of the deal categories

The Australasian Law Awards has announced the winners of the six deal categories for 2021.

The Australasian Law Awards celebrate excellence across the legal profession in Australia and New Zealand.

Due to the volume of strong contenders this year, excellence awardees have been named in each category in addition to the overall winners.

Debt Market Deal of the Year

Winner: National Broadband Network medium-term notes issuance

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens Linklaters, NBN Co Legal Team
• Accountant: Grant Samuel
• Banks: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Deutsche Bank, NAB, Westpac

Excellence Awardees

Australian Office of Financial Management 'Forbearance' SPV

• Firms: Clayton Utz, Eticore, King & Wood Mallesons
• Accountant: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
• Bank: Bank of New York

Heartland reverse mortgage securitization

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Slaughter & May
• Banks: Australian Seniors Finance (a subsidiary of Heartland Bank), BNY, M&G Investments

Newcrest US-dollar corporate bond offering

• Firms: Allens, Sullivan & Cromwell
• Accountant: Ernst & Young
• Banks: ANZ, Barclays Capital Asia, BofA Securities, HSBC Securities (USA), J.P. Morgan Securities, MUFG Securities Americas, RBC Capital Markets

Equity Market Deal of the Year

Winner: IOOF combined COVID super-sized placement and accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, King & Wood Mallesons
• Accountant: EY
• Bank: Citigroup

Excellence Awardees

Adore Beauty IPO

• Firm: Gilbert + Tobin
• Accountant: KPMG
• Banks: Crestone Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Shaw and Partners, UBS

Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure IPO

• Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Sullivan & Cromwell
• Accountants: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte
• Banks: Bell Potter Securities, Citigroup Global Markets Australia, Credit Suisse (Australia), Crestone Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch Equities (Australia), Morgans Financial, Ord Minnett, Wilsons Corporate Finance

Nuix IPO

• Firms: Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Sidley Austin, Sullivan & Cromwell
• Accountant: PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Banks: Macquarie Capital (affiliate of Macquarie Group), Morgan Stanley Australia Securities

Sydney Airport equity raising

• Firms: Allens, King Wood Mallesons
• Accountants: KPMG, PwC
• Bank: UBS

Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year

Winner: Moranbah North-Grosvenor mining complex transaction

• Firms: Barbosa Müssnich Aragão Advogados, Clayton Utz, Freshfields, Linklaters, MinterEllison
• Accountants: EY, PwC

Excellence Awardees

Gunnedah and Suntop Solar projects

• Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, K&L Gates, Maddocks, Norton Rose Fulbright

Ichthys LNG Project refinancing

• Firms: Allens, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, Latham & Watkins, NautaDutilh NV
• Banks: Citigroup, Mizuho Bank

Parramatta Council 5 Parramatta Square and town hall project

• Firms: Ashurst, King & Wood Mallesons

Port Kembla LNG import facility

• Firms: Ashurst, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, HWL Ebsworth, K&L Gates

Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year

Winner: Bain Capital acquisition of Virgin Australia

• Firms: Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, K&L Gates
• Accountant: Deloitte
• Banks: Jefferies

Excellence Awardees

LJ Hooker restructuring

• Firms: Allens Linklaters, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, Corrs Chambers Westgarth,Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin
• Accountant: KPMG

Ovato restructuring

• Firms: Allens, Ashurst, Baker & McKenzie, Cornwalls, Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Norton Rose Fulbright
• Accountants: McGrathNicol, 333 Capital
• Advisors: Duff & Phelps, Scottish Pacific Business Finance, Wexted Advisors
• Banks: ANZ, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft

Pilbara Minerals acquisition of Altura Lithium Operations

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Lavan
• Bank: Macquarie

Purchase of Cockatoo Island mining assets

• Firm: Pragma Lawyers
• Accountant/Receiver-Manager: Auxilium Partners

Mid-market Deal of the Year

Winner: BGH Capital acquisition of Healius Primary Care

• Firms: Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, King Wood Mallesons
• Accountants: EY, PwC
• Banks: Morgan Stanley, UBS

Excellence Awardees

Aroa Biosurgery IPO

• Firms: Aroa Biosurgery IPO, Chapman Tripp, MinterEllison, Rimon Law

Citadel acquisition of Wellbeing Software

• Firms: Ashurst, Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin, Herbert Smith Freehills, Stephenson Harwood (UK), Taylor Wessing (UK)

Crescent Capital Partners acquisition of PRP

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, MinterEllison
• Accountant: Ernst & Young
• Banks: Barings Global Private Loans, Barings Segregated Loans, BAYVK R PD 1 Loan, Goldman Sachs Australia Capital Markets, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

eBay acquisition of Cox Australia Media Solutions

• Firms: DLA Piper, Gilbert + Tobin, Hogan Lovells
• Accountant: EY

Piangil Almond Orchard sale

• Firms: Gadens, MinterEllison

Tattarang cross-border purchase of RM Williams

• Firms: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Simpson Grierson
• Bank: Goldman Sachs

M&A Deal of the Year

Winner: Vodafone Hutchison Australia acquisition of TPG Corporation

• Firms: Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fulbright, Prolegis Lawyers
• Advisor: Lonergan Edwards & Associates
• Accountants: Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, KPMG
• Banks: BofA Securities Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Macquarie Capital

Excellence Awardees

Anheuser-Busch InBev divestment in Australia

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gilbert + Tobin, Johnson Winter & Slattery
• Accountants: EY, PwC
• Banks: Lazard, Nomura, Rothschild

CIMIC divestment of its interest in Thiess

• Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Ashurst, Borden Ladner Gervais, Desai Law Group, ENSafrica (Mauritius), Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners, Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa, McKinsey & Company, MinterEllison, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Morales & Besa, Pimenta e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, Rajah & Tann Singapore, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, Wood Mackenzie
• Advisor: Marsh
• Accountants: EY, JP Morgan, PwC

GrainCorp demerger of its international malting business

• Firms: Gilbert + Tobin, KWM
• Accountants: Blackpeak Capital, Credit Suisse, Grant Samuel, Macquarie
• Banks: KPMG, PwC

Resolution Life acquisition of the Australian and New Zealand life insurance businesses of AMP Life

• Firms: Ashurst, Bell Gully – New Zealand, Chapmann Tripp – New Zealand, Debevoise & Plimpton, Greenwoods, Herbert Smith Freehills, KWM
• Accountant: KPMG
• Banks: Deutsche Bank, UBS

Saracen Mineral Holding merger with Northern Star Resources

• Firms: Ashurst, DLA Piper
• Accountants: Deloitte Corporate Finance Pty Limited, Ernst & Young Strategy and Transactions Limited, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Banks: Macquarie Capital, Sternship Advisers

Congratulations to all the winners and excellence award recipients.

The awards team at Australasian Lawyer will be working with the winners on new ways to celebrate and share their successes with their clients, colleagues and communities.

The remainder of the awards will be announced on the following dates:

In-house award winners and excellence awardees will be announced on 16 June 2021 at 9am (AEST).

Industry and firm award winners and excellence awardees will be announced on 17 June 2021 at 9am (AEST).

The winners list will also be posted here.